9th thread on ISL and today I look at Kerala Blasters.
Fresh start for KBFC. In Kibu they have an astute coach, who showed what he is capable of last season. Expect some eye catching football. But probably will need some time to get team adapting to his style. Be patient

Good Indian recruitment, the likes of Nishu, Puitea will bolster the team. Hopefully Sahal gets back to his best. Naorem flourished under Kibu at MB, he is a player to watch out for. Hope Rahul KP is fully fit, he is another top player. The likes of Jessel and Jeakson also good

Great bunch of youngsters and Kibu gets the best out of them (Sk Sahil, Shubho Ghosh, Shankar at MB), they could get key roles. Would be great if the say Givson or someone can establish himself in the team

My slight concern is the goal keeper. Bilal, Albino, Prabhsukhan are decent, but I think it could be a weakness, esp if they play from the back, not all of them have the experience/skill to play out from the back. It could turn out to be a problem.

The foreign signings look top notch Kone and Costa at the back look like excellent signings and can also play the leadership role. Heard good things about Vicente Gomez. Coming straight from Deportivo, must have some talent. So defensively they should be okay

Gary Hooper is a terrific signing and should score a lot of goals. But can he say match Ogbeche's tally? Kibu seems to like a target man type striker, unlike many other Spanish coaches, so think Hooper will do well, Jordan Murray is another solid signing.

Cido and Facundo Pereyra are also good players, creatively I think KBFC are sorted this season, Hooper needs to convert the chances and one of the other foreigners needs to get 5-7 goals and they should be flying

STRENGTHS: Shrewd coach, good foreign signings, quality young Indians
WEAKNESS: Goal keeping, Indian players are inexperienced, plus how quickly can players adapt to Kibu's style? But think Eelco laid the foundation for that and the players from last season should be fine

Overall, I think KBFC will make the Top 4, but again unless you see the foreigners, you won't really know.
Think playing away from home could benefit, takes the pressure of fans away (esp the younger players) and keeps the team grounded.
Thoughts?
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